


In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd chose you.

by AlannaLioness



Category: OTP : It's All Rachel's Fault
Genre: Demigod AU, Femslash February, Fluff, Friendship, Happy Valentines Day!, Memory Loss, Minor violence involving arrows, Other, RPF, otp:its all rachel's fault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2018-01-11 13:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlannaLioness/pseuds/AlannaLioness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna Grace wakes up in the cold, alone, and with no memory. All she can remember is Rachel, and that she has to find Rachel. </p><p>Rachel wakes up like any other day. Except something is very wrong, xir best friend is missing. </p><p>Demigod adventures ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd chose you.

**Author's Note:**

> So Anna Grace and Rachel wanted fic for FemSlash February, and this is me obliging them, because I think they're awesome. I was just going to post it on Tumblr, but the word count got a little away from me.
> 
> I've never written fic before, so comments and constructive criticism is appreciated.
> 
> Please note that Anna Grace is referred to as both Anna and Anna Grace in this fic. They are the same person, Anna is what Rachel calls her so when it's xir perspective Anna is the name used. Sorry if that causes any confusion...
> 
> If at any point in here I've messed up xir/xem, let me know. Conjugating has never been my specialty. 
> 
> Title comes from a quote in Kiersten White's book The Chaos of Stars (which I have never read).
> 
> Anyways, enjoy.

When Anna Grace woke up she knew a total of three things:

  1. Her name was Anna Grace
  2. She was cold
  3. Rachel. She had to find Rachel.



 

 

 

 

******

 

When Rachel woke up xe knew a lot of things. For instance, xe knew that penguins actually do have knees, that xir favourite colour was blue, that the date was February 14th, that xe was expecting a message from Anna, that it was a snow day so it was cool that xe had slept in, that … well suffice to say xe didn’t have any apparent memory loss. What xe did have, like every morning, was a burning desire to check xir Tumblr. And lo and behold, a message! But it wasn’t from Anna, it was from one of Anna’s university friends. The loud one, with the partially purple hair.

 

 

 

> natthewombat: _Have you heard from Anna Grace in the last 24 hours?_
> 
> thegreatgeizler: _No, why?_
> 
> natthewombat: _Um...she’s kinda missing…_
> 
>  
> 
> thegreatgeizler: _WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S KINDA MISSING?_
> 
>  
> 
> natthewombat: _As in she didn’t show up for classes today, her room mate hasn’t seen her since last night, and none of the Iris messages are going through._  

 

Rachel was trying really hard not to panic at this point. Panicking would be bad, because really, there was no way Anna was missing. Why would she be missing? She was the daughter of Philotes for fricks sake! Yeezus! Who would do sweet, little,  Anna harm? No. No way. Nathanya had to be messing with her.  

 

 

 

> natthewombat: _Godsdammit! If you have a secure land line, call this number : *** *** ****_

 

So xe did. Nathanya picked up after the first ring. And Rachel was talking, no shouting, before she had the chance to say hello.

 

“What in Hades is going on? Who sends a message like that?? Please tell me your messing with me, cause you have to be messing with me! Honestly, this is so not worth a phone call! Anna CAN’T be missing!”

 

“You’re right, she’s not. She’s on a quest.” Nathanya sounded calm, calm is good. Though she could be acting of course, damn theatre people. Rachel took a deep breath.

 

“What do you mean she’s on a quest?”

 

“As in she’s on a quest! I just got a cease and desist notice from Aphrodite. Apparently I’m not allowed to try and contact the quester, and I’m just bothering Iris with my incessant attempts. Which is bull, because I only tried to call Anna Grace like eight times...” Rachel was thinking fast, only partially listening to Nathanya’s nervous babble.

 

“Aren’t you allowed to bring two helpers on a quest? That’s the rule isn’t it?” Rachel said, interrupting Nathanya. “It’s not different in Canada is it?” There was a pause as Nathanya thought.

 

“Ah..no. No, it’s not different up here,” she said. “If she was really on a quest she’d have two companions, us most likely.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh is the term companions weird? Too Doctor Who-ish?”

 

“No. The ‘us’ part is what I’m what-ing. Isn’t your dad the god of honey or something?”

 

“Bee-keeping!” Nathanya corrected quickly. “ Aristaeus is the god of bee-keeping, cheese-making, olive-growing, herding, and hunting. So yes, I’m not exactly first pick when it comes to a fight. But me and Anna Grace don’t know a lot of other demi-gods so we promised each other, and anyways the plan had always been that we’d just follow your lead! Though seriously! We never thought it would actually come to that! Like, who would give US a quest?! Seriously! Her mom is Philotes! Affection, friendship, and sex! Who in their right mind would give a quest to someone who is literally the embodiment of the good bits of Tumblr! But she CAN’T be on a quest because then we’d be with her. So where the hell is she? ” Nathanya was getting louder and more agitated as she went on. Rachel wanted to interrupt, but was unsure of whether or not xe’d actually be heard. Xe was beginning to understand the whole ‘sonic boom’ nickname. “If I don’t get some answers soon I’m so calling in that favor and having Hephaestus TV hacked. See how they like it when there’s no entertainment! Oh…” She stopped suddenly.

 

“What?” Silence greeted Rachel from the other end of the line. “Nathanya? Are you there? Yeezus! What was the ‘oh’ about???” Finally, there came a quiet response.

 

“Um, yeah. Sorry. Still here.”

 

“So? What was with the oh and then sudden silence?”

 

“I just got another notice. Anna Grace is actually on a quest. It’s one of Aphrodite’s special quests. You know, the ones about a Great and Powerful Love? The one’s where you have to brave it on your own in order to prove  that your heart is pure and you’re worthy or whatever?”

 

“Anna’s on a quest for a Great love? Anna doesn’t have a Great love.”

 

“Well that’s not entirely true. She has you.”

 

“But we’re different, its not the same kind of great love, I don’t think it gets the capitals.”

 

“But Anna Grace believes that it _should_ be valued the same, with capitals and everything. And Philotes is backing her up on this one, so Aphrodite pulled a school yard come back and basically yelled ‘prove it’. So this is Anna Grace... proving it.” Nathanya finished.

 

“Well thats pretty cool actually. And totally non-threatening! Don’t the heroes usually have to just find their Great Love? That’ll be easy. She’s probably on a bus or something! We should be happy. Why don’t you sound happy?”

 

“The notice says ‘even if you could contact her, you would be no help. She wouldn’t even remember who you are. She doesn’t really remember much of anything at the moment.’ Wow. Thanks for the sass Aphrodite.”

 

“Nathanya! Stay on topic! How could that have happened?”

 

“Sorry! I dunno, my guess is the River Lethe is involved, either that or Aphrodite pulled a Hera. But that’s not what’s worrying me, how is she supposed to finish the quest if her memories are gone?”

 

Rachel didn’t respond. Because in all honesty, xe didn’t know. Even with all of Athena’s planning skills, xe couldn’t figure a way out of this one.

 

 

 

******

 

When you wake up in an unfamiliar place, with no memory, and you’re cold as fuck due to the colossal  amount of snow currently falling on your face, the most logical thing to do is find shelter. Which is exactly what Anna Grace did, in the form of the local IHOP. Not only was it somewhere warm, but she’d also be able to get pancakes. Blueberry pancakes. With real maple syrup. Her need for real maple syrup was probably due to the whole being Canadian thing. A fact she had learned by looking in her wallet. The fact that she hadn’t remembered and had had to learn by way of driver’s license wasn’t disconcerting at all. Nope...not at all.

At least that's what she kept telling herself as she sat in the mostly empty IHOP. (The fact that she had immediately gone for a booth with walls at her back and a view of the exit had not escaped her attention by the way. Nor had the fact that her mind kept gageing what could be used as a weapon in an emergency situation. And that also was NOT freaking her out.) Her waitress smiled at her.

 

"How you doing, hun?" The woman asked.

 

"Good. Well goodish. I got a little lost in the storm, could you tell me where I am?" Anna Grace said, with her most innocent smile. She hoped that was a believable question...

 

"Oh I'm not surprised," apparently it worked. "We got another one of them polar vortex's coming down on us. You really shouldn't of been out in it." The waitress admonished her. Anna Grace felt guilty but also defensive. Like how you feel when a teacher catches you doodling in class, yeah I did something bad, but its really not my fault that you're boring.

 

"Yeah, I know. But I really need to get home," Anna Grace lied easily. "And the interstate was closed and I ended up on a backroad and now I'm rather lost."

 

The waitress looked down her nose but answered anyways "Ann Arbor hunny. Now what are you having?"

 

Anna Grace gave her order and was thankful to be left alone.

 

Needless to say Anna Grace was rather confused and more than a little worried. (All that stuff about not being freaked out, clever lies!)She was seriously lacking in the information department and that was seriously starting to get to her.

 

What she did know was that she had to go West. Rachel was West. But West where? In Michigan? Back in Canada? Where in Canada was she even from? Probably not Quebec,due to the whole not being French thing. But that still left a lot of country. And what about her family? Were they worried? Did she even have a family? Based on her odd reactions and strange instincts she was starting to think her life wasn't the safest. So who knew? Maybe she was alone.

 

 _NO._ Thought a part of herself. _You have Rachel._

 

Rachel. Rachel her best friend. Rachel who always makes her laugh. Rachel who crushes the patriarchy and the gender binary beneath xir cute yet sensible shoes.

 

Rachel who would hopefully be able to explain all the missing pieces of her memory. Because other than Rachel, she couldn't remember anything. And even what she remembered of xir was limited. Anna Grace had no idea how they'd met, or why they were friends. All Anna Grace knew was that Rachel was more than just a friend, xe was more than _just_ important.

 

Anna Grace was really getting sick of having no memory.  

 

Well, not exactly no memory, she had to admit. She remembered how to function at least. She remembered which fork to use, that Columbus "discovered" America in 1492, and fun fact : Canada is the second largest country in the world. It was like writing an essay, she could remember all the common knowledge shit that you don't have to cite but all the supporting details kept slipping through her fingers. And the harder she tried to remember the foggier her head got, it was starting to give her a headache frankly. But worse were the weird vague impressions she kept getting. Like, the gold coins in her pocket were supposed to be useful, the callouses on her fingertips were from a bow, and the man walking towards her was not human.

 

Wait, what?

 

Before she could even begin to figure out where _that_ thought came from, the man had slid into the opposite side of her booth. He was broad shouldered, with dark hair, and eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses that rested on his rather aggressive cheek bones. He pushed up his sleeves and rested his clasped hands on the table in front of him, the movement revealing the archer's guard on his wrist and his calloused fingertips. The smell of honey and soft cheeses wafted across the table, and for some reason Anna Grace was reminded of _home._

 

"And who might you be?" she asked in a voice stronger than she'd thought it be.

 

"Aw hun," the man sighed. "She really did a number on you." And before Anna Grace could stop him, he was reaching across the table and pressing two fingertips to Anna Grace's forehead. And then the memories came trickling in. Not everything, just enough to keep her alive, to allow her to fight, to finish her quest. Her quest! Right! Of course.... But why was she on a quest again?? Godsdammit! As much as the man...no.. god.. had given her, even more was still locked away. It was like he had reached into the bank vault that her memories had become and opened up one or two safety deposit boxes.   

 

"Aphrodite really isn't great with the memory tricks," the god said as he drew back his hand. "She always forgets that you need to leave enough behind to give 'em a fighting chance. Better?"

 

"Yeah. Better," Anna Grace responded. "But I thought gods weren't supposed to interfere with heroes on quests?"

 

He laughed at that, a booming sound that caused a couple people to stare, "I'm minor! Just a little ole rustic deity. No one on Olympus really cares what I do. Besides, I have a personal investment in your safety. And unlike the others, mine isn't dependent on the bets currently raging up there."

 

"You going to explain that personal investment?"

 

"Naw," he responded shaking his head. " ** _Those_** memories you gotta get back for yourself."

 

"So, you going to be anymore helpful, or can I enjoy my pancakes in peace?" Anna Grace said as the waitress returned and placed said pancakes in front of her (Fun Fact: IHOP does _not_ have real maple syrup, her disappointment was palpable).

 

The god waited until the waitress was gone before he spoke again. "Your gratefulness for the memories really fills my heart with joy, you know." Anna Grace just looked at him. He sighed dramatically. "Gosh, fine. Yes, I'm going to be more helpful. Even though it’s really not my job to fix it when someone forgets to outfit their hero," he tossed her a backpack all the same. "In there you will find a few things that will be helpful on your quest. And you'll find your bow in a locker at the bus station. Nice weapon choice by the way. I approve."

 

Anna Grace looked into the bag. It had some ambrosia and nectar, American cash, warm clothes, and the key to a locker. When she looked up to thank him, the god was gone.  

 

 

 

*****

 

Rachel was not used to sitting around and waiting for things to happen. As a child of Athena xe was used to making plans and then getting in the thick of things. The idea of just waiting for memory-less Anna to show up was utterly ridiculous to xir. But xe also knew that Aphrodite would not appreciate Rachel interfering with this quest. And a pissed off Aphrodite was not good for the health.

 

_Poseidon's Trident this is a mess!_

 

Rachel paced for ages before finally making a decision. No matter the consequences, xe would help Anna. That's what you did for your friends.

 

Rachel spent the next couple hours pouring over maps. Xe overlaid train lines and bus routes and highways. Xe calculated the most efficient and likely routes Anna could take to reach her. There were six possible arrival destinations in Rachel's town. Rachel doubted that Anna would have too much trouble reaching xir town, it was what Anna would do upon arrival that worried Rachel. Xir town could be confusing to outsiders and without a memory Anna would have trouble finding Rachel's house. Not to mention the fact that there were a couple of well documented monster hangouts in the area.  

 

When xe was ready xe grabbed xir bow and headed out.

 

Xe looked down at xir bow as she walked down the street and felt a flash of hope. Like many things in Rachel's life, xir bow was just one half of a whole, and Anna had the other half.  And xe knew for a fact that Anna had hers with her because Nathanya hadn't found it in the dorm. The image of Anna with a bow in her hand made Rachel smile. It would be okay. They would figure this out. Xe continued down the streets with a newfound spring to xir step.

 

Xir plan was to leave messages at the six arrival points, something easy for Anna to spot, and then stake out the main bus terminal.

 

Of course even the best laid plans can blow up in your face.

 

Xe had successfully managed to leave messages at 3 of the 6 arrival points when everything went downhill.

 

Xe was walking away from the third arrival point when xe heard a low buzzing noise, the hum of a well tuned engine, accompanied by the smell of hot metal. Xe slowly turned in a 360, eyes scanning the surrounding area. Nothing. Xe kept walking. Ahead of xir was an alley, xe stalked towards it, hoping there would be a fire escape that would allow xir to get to a roof and a better vantage point. Xe peeked around the corner, the alley appeared empty, but as soon as xe was a few steps down, xe was suddenly surrounded by shining metal and that buzzing sound from before. Xir attackers seemed to be some kind of automatons, some were human shaped while others were more animal-esque. But they all had far too many limbs. Unable to raise xir bow in the tight space, xe was quickly overpowered. _Godsdammit Hephaestus, I hope all your future projects fall apart_ , was xir final thought before being knocked unconscious.

 

 

 

*****

Getting to the bus station and getting her bow from the locker was fine. Its what happened after that Anna Grace was less of a fan of.

 

After she had secured her bow (a beautiful thing of dark carved wood that she instinctively knew was somehow connected to Rachel), she had walked over to the map with all the bus routes. And then she had stared. And stared. And became increasingly frustrated. She knew she had to go West, and that they best and cheapest option was to take the bus, but its not like she could just go up to the ticket booth and say: "I need a ticket West please!" She was about to call it a bust and try something else, when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She drew an arrow and notched it at the same time that she did a 360 turn. At first she saw nothing, just people waiting for buses. She did another scan of the crowd and realized what it was. Cheerleaders. While normally Anna Grace has absolutely nothing against cheerleaders, but those girls were not actual cheerleaders. The Mist was thick around them, but if Anna Grace concentrated she could tell that their legs were wrong, and their fingers ended in claws. Empusa! She could remember someone telling her stories of Empusa dressed as cheerleaders...but she couldn't remember who...

 

She shook her head to clear it. At this point it didn't matter. Remembering the story teller would not help her deal with the current situation.

 

Though the Empousa seemed to be moving away from her, towards the door to outside, she wasn't about to take any chances. She quietly snuck through the "Employees Only" door and found her way onto the roof. Once there, she crept to the edge and looked over. The three Empousa were moving quickly, speed walking along the side of the building and constantly glancing behind. Anna Grace moved to the side of the roof towards the back and took aim. As soon as the Empousa rounded the corner she loosed her arrows. The went down fast, dissolving in the winter air. Anna Grace was about to relax when two boys came around the corner. They wore orange shirts and had sword drawn. When they saw that the Empousa were gone they seemed confused. Anna Grace was about to back away when two pairs of blue eyes zeroed in on her. The grins that took over their faces made her gulp. The two dark haired boys waved and unison and then ran around the corner. Anna Grace shook her headed back down to ground level. She had just come out the access door when the two boys found her again.

 

"Anna Grace!" they said in excitement. "How's your quest going?"

 

Anna Grace elected not to answer, instead she countered with a question of her own, "Who are you?" (that was the second time she had asked that in 24 hours, she really hoped it wasn't going to become a thing). As impossible as it seemed, the grins seemed to stretch wider.

 

"Oh. Its that kind of quest," one boy said.

 

"Dad didn't mention that part," the other continues. _Brothers_ Anna Grace realized. She looked at them in question, still hoping they would answer her question. They did. Sticking their hands out they said, in unison, "We're Connor and Travis Stoll, sons of Hermes at your service!"

 

"You guys practice that to freak people out don't you?" The grins remained. Anna Grace shook their hands. "I'm Anna Grace, but I suppose you know that already."

 

"Of course we do!" One said.

 

"We are your two best friends after all!" said the other. Anna Grace looked them up and down and crossed her arms in disbelief. Their grins faltered slightly.

 

"You see, I doubt that. Fun fact! I may not remember much, but I haven't lost my instincts. You guys basically scream 'do not trust', literally the only way it could be louder was if you were actually screaming ‘don’t trust us!!’ " she said.

 

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged.

 

"Okay yes. We aren't best friends. But you do know us," one said.

 

"Why are you here?" Anna Grace asked.

 

"We were tracking the Empousa that you so helpfully shot," was the response. "Finding you was a happy accident."

 

"But now that we have found you, why don't we point you in the right direction," he pointed to a bus through the window, "You'll want that one, and take this," he said handing her a bus ticket. She took it, eyeing them suspiciously.

 

"Why help me?"

 

The grins were back. "Odds are against you. If we help you along we may actually make some money off these bets, and dad might too." And with that, they waved and disappeared into the crowd.

 

Looking down at the bus ticket she saw that it was to a town to the west. Reading the name, she felt a stir of recognition.  

 

 

 

*****

Waking up in a warehouse after being knocked unconscious by some creepy as shit automatons is really not a fun time. Waking up in a warehouse after being knocked unconscious by creepy as shit automatons and realizing that they did not properly tie you to the chair you're sitting in, significantly better. _Hephaestus really needs to work on opposable thumbs_ Rachel thought to xirself. Scanning xir surroundings xe saw a number of things. 1) Xe was in a warehouse that featured a catwalk that circled the building, with bridges that crossed above xir head, 2)xir bow and quiver was lying on the ground about 10 feet from xir, but 3) the problem was that there was a couple automatons between xir and it, however, 4) the automatons seemed to be in some kind of sleep mode and finally 5) there were more than a dozen automatons standing against the walls of the warehouse.

 

Xe weighed xir options. Xe could try for xir bow, but xe assumed that would probably wake up the bots. Or xe could try and sneak away. The problem with that was that xe would leave xir bow behind, AND there was the possibility that xe would wake the bots anyways. A thought occurred to xir then. Xe could test what would wake the bots up. Xe raised xir arms above xir head and waved them around....Nothing. Xe kicker xir legs around....Nothing. Xe stood up and sat down again....Nothing. Maybe their batteries were dead? Xe laughed at that. Which is of course when the bots woke up. Their eyes glowed and they rotated their heads 360 degrees. They locked onto Rachel, clicked a couple times and then slept again. _oooohh_  Rachel thought.   _This is good. This is very good._

 

Xe grinned and got up as quietly as  possible. Xe slinked towards xir bow in a wide arch, staying as far as possible from the bots. Gently lifting xir bow, xe got an idea. Xe really didn't want these things following xem. Xe crept towards one of the ladders and quietly climbed up to the catwalk. Once there, xe notched an arrow and took aim. The first arrow hit xir target directly in the eye, the bot went down hard.The clatter of metal echoed through the warehouse and the space was filled with red light spilling from the bots' eyes.

 

Before they could focus on xir Rachel had already taken out three more bots. _Crash. Clatter. **Bang**._

 

The automatons surged forward at once, all pushing towards the ladder at Rachel's feet. Xe moved to the left and loosed another arrow. _Crash_. And another. _Clatter_. And another. _Bang._ The first bots had reached the ladder. Xe shot it down and it tumbled into the bots behind it _clatter clatter clatter_. Others quickly took their place, swarming up the ladder. Rachel loosed arrow after arrow, but xe was starting to fear that maybe she didn't have enough. Suddenly, a horde of arrows rained down from the other side of the catwalk, grateful but unable to look quite yet, Rachel continued to fire xir own arrows. When the last automaton collapsed, xe was finally able to look across to xir well-timed aid. On the other side of the catwalk, there was a group of young girls. Rachel grinned, xe'd always gotten along with Artemis's hunters.

 

"Thalia!" xe yelled as xe made xir way towards them. "Great timing! But what in the world are you _doing_ here?"

 

Thalia smiled and pulled Rachel in for a hug. "We were on our way to Camp when we received word for Artemis that not only was Hephaestus messing with someone's quest, but he was also jeopardizing her chances of finally winning a bet. I told her sure, I'd love to rescue the little one!"

 

"Little one!" Rachel scoffed. "I'm not a baby! I'm an adult! And you did not _rescue_ me. I was doing just fine, thank you very much."

 

"Indeed," Thalia said, grinning. "Why don't we go collect those arrows? You may need them again. Who knows what other interference may rain down on your head," Thalia winked and swung herself onto the nearest ladder and slid to the ground, the other hunters following with Rachel bringing up the rear.

 

Rachel was deep in thought as xe sorted through the piles of metal in order to find xir arrows. A couple things weren't making sense.

 

"Why does anyone even care about Anna's quest? I mean she's the daughter of a minor goddess and she's on a very personal quest. Why bother interfering? And why bet on it?" Xe asked, looking at Thalia.

 

Thalia thought for a moment. "It probably has to do with the fact that this fight isn't just between Aphrodite and Philotes."

 

"Who else is involved?"

 

"The rumour I heard was Hera was somehow involved. I don't know how exactly, but she's in deep. And the bets are partly because of that. The gods like messing around with stuff Hera's involved in. Some to be on her good side, and some to piss her off."

 

"You said partly. Why else?"

 

"Boredom," the smile on Thalia's face was sharp and angry. Rachel dropped the subject. Xe had more than xe'd had before, but there were still so many unanswered questions. Like why was Hera involved?

 

After they had all collected their arrows, they parted ways at the warehouse entrance, respectfully saluting each other.

 

Rachel turned in the direction of the next entry point, frowning up at the darkening sky. Xe was a few blocks down when xe heard a screech behind xem.

 

 

 

*****

Anna Grace was jolted awake when the bus jerked to a halt. They were on the side of the road, and smoke was billowing out from the engine. Anna Grace grimaced, she was having some odd deja vu, another one of those stories told to her by someone she can't remember.

 

The driver's voice crackled over the speakers, "Sorry everyone. I'm going to go out and take a look, if I can't fix it we'll have someone come out to get you all. Don't worry. We're not too far from town."

 

Anna Grace did not like the idea of waiting around. She grabbed her stuff and followed the driver outside.

 

"Miss, you'd best stay on the bus," he said.

 

"How far is not too far?" she asked, ignoring his advice.

 

He pointed down the highway, "About a 10 minute walk in that direction, to be honest. But you'll freeze."

 

"I'll be fine. And besides, I really can't afford to wait."

 

The bus driver looked at her and shrugged, "Your funeral," and with that he turned to his engine.

 

Anna Grace tightened her scarf, gripped her bow in a gloved hand, and headed 'in that direction'.

 

After about five minutes, she began to see buildings through the swirling snow. After a few more minutes she was closer and could see that she was approaching what appeared to be the industrial side of town. Large squat buildings and small warehouses stretched before her.

She reached them soon enough and looked around. She saw what looked like a well used street and headed down it, hoping it would lead her to the center of town.

 

She was a few blocks down when she heard a screech behind her. She spun on her heels and brought up her bow.

 

"I hate griffins," Anna Grace said as she ducked into the nearest alley, it had been too close to get a proper shot off her bow. The alley was her best bet, the griffin wings made it too broad to enter. Anna Grace made her way down the narrow alley and turned into another one. Above her she could hear the griffin screeching. It was answered by another screech.  "Great. He brought a friend."

 

"Good thing you did too," a voice said behind her. She spun, bringing her bow up.

 

"Rachel," she gasped, her bow clattering to the ground. She ran towards xir and they wrapped their arms around one another. Anna Grace gripped Rachel hard, feeling like a drowning man clinging to the last buoy. But Rachel gripped the older woman back just as hard.

 

"You okay?" Rachel asked her.

 

"As cheesy as it sounds, I am now," Anna Grace said leaning back so she could look Rachel in the face, she smiled at what she saw and leaned their foreheads together. "You're the only thing in my head. I barely remember anything else."

 

"At least you've got a little, I was worried you'd be like a blank slate."

 

"It was pretty bad when I woke up, but then some god showed up and helped me out a bit. Gave me back just enough to live long enough to make it here," Anna Grace responded, closing her eyes and breathing deep. Her body felt warm, like it hadn't felt sun in days.

 

"Oh?" Rachel asked, xir own eyes drifting closed. "Do you know who it was?"

 

"No," Anna Grace said, shaking her head and causing their noses to brush. "He said he had a 'personal investment in my safety'."

 

"Weird," Rachel said. "Maybe-" unfortunately xe was unable to finish the thought as xe was interrupted by screeches from above. They both  sighed.

 

"We should probably deal with that," they said in unison, causing each other to giggle as they broke apart. They looked above them and up and down the alley. A few feet from them, their was a fire escape leading to the roof of the building on their left. They looked at each other and grinned.

 

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Rachel asked.

 

"Charlie Theta formation?"

 

"Oh yeah."

 

Anna Grace grabbed her bow and they jogged over to the fire escape. Quickly, they climbed up it and jumped onto the roof. The two griffins flew towards them, side by side. Rachel notched of xir special arrows and shot it between the two creatures. It exploded, forcing them apart. Then the two demi-gods began firing more arrows, mostly normal but with a couple special ones here and there. They moved as they shot, forcing the two griffins farther and farther apart in their attempts to avoid the arrows. Eventually the two griffins were approaching from opposite sides of the building and Rachel and Anna Grace were back to back. Then they stopped shooting. The griffins raced towards them. Rachel and Anna Grace waited until they were almost directly on top of them, then the two archers dropped to the ground and the angle allowed them to shoot up and through the griffins' chest, landing a direct hit to the beasts' hearts. They burst apart in the air, showering the teens in monster dust. For a second they just laid there, breathing. Then Rachel reached out and grabbed Anna Grace's hand.

 

"I'm really glad you're okay," xe said. "And I'm glad you found me."

 

"Me too. And I'm really glad of all the hours we spent training together," they both laughed a little. Then there was a pause. "Oh hey! I remembered something that I didn't remember before!"  Anna Grace fist pumped the air as Rachel giggled.

 

"Well that's generally how it works," a pleasant voice said. "You find your Great Love and the complications of the quest ease." A beautiful woman looked down on them, her face seeming to shift between different characteristics.

 

"Were those griffins some of your _complications_?" Anna Grace asked.

 

"Gods no!" Aphrodite answered. "That was just a couple of monsters smelling halfbloods. Or one of my meddling family members." She shrugged elegantly. Then she looked down at the two, "You going to continue to lie like that or will you stand so I can look at you properly? Even gods can get a kink in their necks you know!" The two demigods sighed and struggled to their feet, exhaustion weighing down their bones. Aphrodite smiled as the two brushed monster dust off themselves, "You know, I am very proud of you."

 

Rachel felt kinda shell shocked at that little declaration. "Proud??I thought you wanted Anna to fail!"

 

"Oh, honey no. I wanted her to win, _Hera_   wanted her to fail," Aphrodite said with a small shake of her head. How she managed to make even that movement look beautiful, Rachel would never know. What xe did know, was that xe was still very very confused.

 

"What?" xe said eloquently.

 

"Hera has been on my case for ages! Going on and on about how I should be inspiring more traditional relationships! You know two people in love, in a monogamous, matrimonial relationship. No matter how many times I told her that all love is important she wouldn't leave me be. Then! When I brought up the fact that Zeus and Ganymede's whole'fuck-buddy' thing is far from 'traditional' she had the gall to say I was losing my touch! Me! Losing my touch! As if! I inspire love all around the world, just because it doesn't fit into what she wants doesn't make it less important!" Aphrodite's eyes had begun to burn as she got angrier, noticing her audience take a step back she took a calming breath and continued. "So anyways, Philotes and I decided we had to prove that friendship is love, and just as important as romantic love. And that is exactly what Anna Grace did! So thank you darlings! Now I must be off, I have to rub this in Hera's face! Plus, I have winnings to collect!" She grinned and vanished.

 

Anna Grace and Rachel looked at each other. Anna Grace looked as conflicted as Rachel felt.

 

"You didn't know, did you? About Hera?" Rachel asked.

 

Anna Grace shook her head. "No. Mom and I were talking about friendship and stuff and I said it was just as important. And I wished I could prove it to Aphrodite. And mom said that I would. I really thought I was. Now I just feel weird. I mean, I'm glad we proved the point. It's an important point... but.. I dunno. It's weird right?"

 

Rachel nodded. "It's weird." Xe reached out and took Anna's hand again. "Wanna drink some hot chocolate and take a cuddle nap?"

 

"Yeah. Yeah I do...but we should also tell me people I'm alive and everything."

 

"Yeah," Rachel agreed.

 

And that is exactly what they did.

 

The end.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr if you want to chat. I like a lot of things. A lot of fandoms. Hit me up. natthewombat.tumblr.com


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